Donate Life!
April is National Donate Life month, a time to focus our attention on the need for and importance of organ, tissue, eye, and full body donation. Becoming an organ donor saves and heals lives. More that 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for lifesaving organ transplants and every 8 minutes another person is added to the national transplant waiting list.
What is the difference between being an organ donor and donating your body to science?
Organ and tissue donation is the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (the donor) and placing it into a living person (the recipient) who needs the organ or tissue because theirs has failed or been damaged by disease of injury. A wide range of organs and tissue can be donated including, heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, intestines, cornea, middle ear, skin, bone, bone marrow, heart valves, connective tissue, blood vessels, etc. Organ & tissue donations are often life-saving donations and can be completed prior to a body donation to science.
People of all ages can be potential donors. One can register as a donor via your local DMV, on RegisterMe.org or in your iPhone Health App.. In Colorado, you can also register with the Donor Alliance, a local nonprofit that facilitates the process of organ and tissue donation for transplantation in Colorado and Wyoming.
After you register, medical assessment will be done to determine what organs of tissue can be donated. Certain conditions, such as having HIV, actively spreading cancer, or severe infection would exclude an organ donation.
After a death, the entire donation process is usually completed within 24 to 36 hours and then the donor’s body will be returned to loved ones to carry out any funeral arrangements.
Body Donation to Science (Non-Transplant Donation) are typically used for medical research and education. Body donors help train current and future doctors, nurses, transplant teams, and others in the medical field. Body donations to science help advance surgical technology and medical understanding, potentially impacting an immeasurable number of lives.
People over 18 years of age can be body donors. To become a donor, one can directly contact a research or medical institution or can register online with Science Care. Most people meet the criteria to be donors, including those with cancer, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and many other chronic conditions. Some conditions such as having HIV, Hepatitis B or C, or a high/low BMI could exclude donation.
Most medical research and education facilities will cover the cost of cremation of the donor’s body, however, in some cases, loved ones may incur fees for the transportation, death certificates, or other services. Often a funeral home will coordinate transportation to the donation facility and support loved ones through this process, other times, loved ones will work directly with the donation organization. Depending on the donation organization, return of the ashes to loved ones can take from three weeks to two years. In some cases, ashes will not be returned so loved ones should ask about this as part of their decision-making process.
A person can be registered as both an organ donor and a body donor. In this case, the donation of live organs would take priority over the body donation.
Whether you decide to be an organ and tissue donor, a whole-body donor, or both, it is critical you let your loved ones know your wishes verbally and/or in writing.
Being a donor can be a wonderful, final gift and leave a lasting legacy. If you have additional questions or need help getting started with this process, contact me today.
